My Grandmother Verdie’s Strawberry Cake is a delicious treasure! It’s a strawberry cake recipe using cake mix, Jello, and strawberries, topped with homemade strawberry buttercream frosting. This nostalgic cake is easy to make and always a favorite dessert!
My family loves strawberry recipes. Strawberry cobbler and strawberry spinach salad are always so delicious, especially as our fresh strawberries get ripe! And there’s something so enticing about strawberry cake, especially in the spring and summer. Most often, I make my fresh strawberry cake recipe from scratch, but when I crave my grandmother’s cake, I pull out this recipe from time to time.
I’m sharing her recipe exactly as she always made it – a strawberry cake recipe using cake mix. And it is out-of-this-world scrumptious. Everyone always loves it and requested she bake it as far back as my memory goes. It’s definitely one to try.
My Grandmother Verdie was such a very special person and an inspiration to me. She always prayed with me, gave plenty of hugs, and eagerly shared her talents. She was such an amazing cook, and it was a treat to eat a meal at her table. The meals were always fresh, delicious southern feasts – with everything from fried chicken and potato salad to chicken and dumplings or potato soup and desserts. Oh, the desserts were legendary – everything from pies with homemade pie crust to homemade candy, cakes – and her strawberry cake. She made most recipes from scratch, as I do, but this strawberry cake recipe includes a white cake mix and strawberry Jello gelatin.
Family and friends often asked her to make her strawberry cake for suppers, reunions, or birthdays. Once you taste it, you will understand why it is so loved!
How to Make Grandmother Verdie’s Strawberry Cake
Even though most of Grandmother’s cakes are made completely from scratch, as are mine, this one is a strawberry cake recipe using a cake mix. She used a white cake mix from Duncan Hines, to be exact, and even wrote that on the recipe she gave to me. This strawberry cake recipe uses jello too. It’s topped with a delicious homemade Strawberry Buttercream frosting, the same frosting I use on my fresh strawberry cake.
Ingredients
To make this cake, you’ll need:
- box white cake mix – use your favorite white cake mix. Grandmother used Duncan Hines.
- flour – all-purpose flour
- Strawberry Jello – 3 oz of strawberry-flavored gelatin
- water
- oil – coconut oil or melted butter
- eggs – use eggs you’ve allowed to come to room temperature for best results
- frozen strawberries – 5 ounces of thawed halved strawberries in syrup
- Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Step-by-Step Instructions
Get cake pans ready for baking. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans with butter and flour to prevent sticking.
Mix cake ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add cake mix, flour, gelatin, water, oil and eggs, and strawberries and mix well.
Bake. Divide the cake batter between three prepared cake pans. Bake until cakes spring back when gently touched in the center and the edges begin to turn loose from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
Make the frosting. While the cake is baking, make the Strawberry Buttercream Frosting according to the recipe.
Cool cake layers. After removing the cake pans from the oven, allow them to cool on a wire rack for about 5-10 minutes in the pans, then carefully turn the cakes out onto wire racks to complete cooling.
Frost and serve. Assemble the cooled cake layers onto a cake stand or cake plate and frost each layer with the buttercream frosting until all three layers are frosted. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Due to the ingredients, this cake will need to be refrigerated and not left out on the counter other than when serving. It can also be frozen for later.
To store. Prepare the cake according to the recipe. Wrap well or use an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 5 to 6 days.
To freeze. Prepare the cake layers through baking and cooling. Allow the cake layers to cool completely, wrap them well and carefully place each layer into a gallon zip-top freezer bag. Place the layers flat in your freezer (I like to place them onto a sheet pan.) Freeze the cake layers for up to 2-3 months. To frost the cake, simply remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator with the wrapping intact. Then, frost the cake once it has completely thawed.
The frosted cake can also be frozen for up to 2-3 months in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator and store in the refrigerator as directed while you enjoy the cake.
Grandmother’s Recipe Treasures
I’ve shared previously about the notebook of her handwritten recipes she gave me as one of my wedding presents. These recipes bring back a flood of memories of growing up with her.
I love pulling out the notebook of her recipes because it usually makes me feel like she is right beside me, giving me tips the entire time I am cooking. What a treasure of a gift she gave me as a young bride!
Do you have a favorite recipe that is an heirloom in your family?
More Favorite Strawberry Recipes
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Grandmother Verdie’s Strawberry Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Box (473 g) Duncan Hines White Cake Mix, or favorite white cake mix
- 3 Tablespoons (22.5 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 (3-Oz) box (85 g) Strawberry Flavored Gelatin, Jello
- 1/2 Cup (113.5 g) Water
- 1 Cup (226 g) Oil, coconut oil, or melted butter
- 4 large (200 g) Eggs
- 5 ounces (141.75 g) Frozen Halved Strawberries in Syrup, thawed
- Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat ovens to 350º F. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans with butter and flour to prevent sticking.
- In a large mixing bowl, add cake mix, flour, gelatin, water, oil and eggs, and strawberries and mix well.
- Divide the cake batter between three prepared cake pans.
- Bake until cakes spring back when gently touched in the center and the edges begin to turn loose from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done..
- While the cake is baking, make the Strawberry Buttercream Frosting according to the recipe.
- After removing the cake pans from the oven, allow them to cool on a wire rack for about 5-10 minutes in the pans, then carefully turn the cakes out onto wire racks to complete cooling.
- Assemble the cooled cake layers onto a cake stand or cake plate and frost each layer with the buttercream frosting until all three layers are frosted. Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! I would love to make this cake for my daughters birthdaythis weekend! But I can’t figure out how much is 1/2 box of strawberries. Help please!
Hi! I too wasn’t exactly sure but I used one regular size container of fresh strawberries I had on hand from produce dept. After hulling and slicing I found it to be a good amount. Great recipe!!
Thanks for the tip for using fresh strawberries in this recipe, Lisa.
I made this cake for my niece’s birthday. A small box of birdseye strawberries in syrup is 10 oz. However, Paula Deen’s recipe for this cake is very similar – addition of an egg and uses 15 oz of frozen strawberries in syrup. So, I went with the extra egg and the larger amount of strawuberries in syrup. Cake came out fine with the additions and probably had more strawberry taste. I also put a layer of lemon curd and a layer of spreadable SMucker’s strawberry jam between the layers of cake which added a great citrus taste to the cake, cutting some of the sweetness.
As for the icing, I did go for a strawberry buttercream, instead of Paula Deen’s strawberry cream cheese frosting. I over did it on the strawberries in syrup – probably used about 7 ozs and my buttercream came out too soft. So, this recipe calls for the 5 ozs of strawberries in syrup and 2 lbs of confectioners sugar (the 16 oz box won’t be enough.)
My sister and I made this cake for my dad’s 79th birthday party and everyone loved it! So rich and flavorful! Thank you for sharing your Grandmother’s recipes. 🙂
Hi Robyn, this looks amazing! On Saturday its my b-day and I want to make this cake. I can’t find the bird’seye frozen strawberry but will use another brand. How many ounces do I need? Thanks a lot!
I would also like to know how many ounces of frozen strawberries to use. Also, how much confectioner’s sugar are you supposed to use in the frosting recipe? One cup, two cups? One box doesn’t help me as that kind of sugar comes in bags where I live.
I cannot find Birdseye Frozen Strawberries anywhere. Can someone please tell me the measurement of one small box of Birdseye frozen strawberries?
Thank you
I can only find bags of frozen strawberries or the frozen strawberries in syrup. How many ounces.
Do you use all the juice from the strawberries after it’s been defrosted? Or do you strain it out?
Hi Crystal,
I do use the juice from the strawberries.
This is the exact recipe my grandmother used & passed on to us; it was my dad’s favorite. I remember many birthdays that this is what we made for him. How fun to see that it is a special recipe to other families!
Oh my goodness gracious me oh my!!! This is the exact family recipe that my blog is named after. Isn’t this cake wonderful. My mom made it for my sister as her wedding cake. People were asking if they could take extra pieces home.